The present invention pertains to the field of outdoor water faucets, variously known to practitioners of the art as ‘hose bibs’ or sillcocks.
A problem exists in the prior art with respect to the installation of new sillcocks in existing masonry or other building materials. Various attempts have been made to address this problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,272,396 (Brienza) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,863 (Commeville) propose solutions which, though inspired and well-meaning, fail to provide a universal solution to the problem, or only do so while requiring significant expense and effort.
In particular '396 Brienza proposes a somewhat bulky auxiliary structure poorly anchored to the main pipe and suffering also from the deficiency that tabs, which cannot be guaranteed to be sturdy, are the only means of creating a separation between the pipe aperture and bolt apertures. Furthermore, this costly (in terms of strength) solution imposes a limit on the diameter of any washer that might be used to distribute pressure from tightened bolts, as a larger washer will abut against the main cylindrical wall.
'863 Commeville appears to provide an enclosure for aesthetic purposes, but without addressing issues of hole separation.
A need remains for an effective, efficient remedy to the prior art.